We noticed that you're using an unsupported browser. The TripAdvisor website may not display properly. We support the following browsers:
Windows:Internet Explorer,
Mozilla Firefox,
Google Chrome.
Mac:Safari.

Never sleeping in a tent before I was skeptical in what to expect. This tent was something I never would have expected. Large, teak flooring in the sleeping area, a large tiled permanent modern bathroom with all amenities excluding a hair dryer, large shower stall. The beds were comfy and we never had any problems with mosquitoes and insects. All precautions were taken by the staff. A dressing area with desk, a lot of zipper windows and a teak platformed siting area in the front of tent with teak patio chairs and table to sit and enjoy the sights and sounds of the wildlife. The lodge itself was all open air except the dining area and bar. The food was excellent and many different dishes to try. All of the staff were very helpful and friendly. The bar area was the evening meeting area to share photos and stories of the day. There is wifi but you have to pay for it considering the location of the Lodge. This is a secure location.

Room Tip: All tents are the same except there are larger family tents. All tents are located off the main path...

See more room tips

Stayed April 2013, traveled with family

Value

Location

Sleep Quality

Rooms

Cleanliness

Service

Helpful?

Thank Diana4ElPaso

Report

Ask Diana4ElPaso about Sarova Mara Game Camp

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Yes, you are sleeping in a tent - but a 5 star tent! Full bath, clean, coffee, etc... Friendly staff, great buffet breakfast, lunch, dinner and boxed lunch on safaris. Nice pool and in an excellent location. Would definitely stay there again.

Stayed May 2013, traveled with friends

Value

Location

Sleep Quality

Rooms

Cleanliness

Service

Helpful?

Thank ammanexpat2011

Report

Ask ammanexpat2011 about Sarova Mara Game Camp

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

The most luxurious tented camp I've stayed in and I've stayed in many! The food service is well above average with a combination of buffet and cooked-on-the-spot entrees. Overall service is excellent with very well intentioned staff. Everything is sparkling clean! Grounds and pool are very well maintained. Family friendly for kids with extra activities for down time. Masseuse Grace was excellent. We experienced both the regular tents and the more upscale Club tents. The Club tents are over the top and exceedingly nice! Best for those who are over 5'5". The regular tents are also very nice but if you are over 5'3" be prepared to stoop over a bit to get around. Unfortunately, the twin beds were pushed together in the middle of the tent so one should be very cozy with travel mate. If beds were separated to either side of the tent, single and/or taller travelers would be more comfortable in the regular tents. Also the regular tents are quite close together so noise from other tents is inevitable. Management should post signs in rooms to the effect of "Please observe quiet hours from 11pm to 6 am." Although there is a river running thru the property, most rooms do not have "river views". Other than that, it is a very, very nice camp and our 2 night stay there was most pleasant.

Room Tip: Club rooms are best for taller persons.

See more room tips

Stayed May 2013, traveled with friends

Value

Location

Sleep Quality

Rooms

Cleanliness

Service

Helpful?

1Thank Pamela H

Report

Ask Pamela H about Sarova Mara Game Camp

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

I can completely and fully recommend this luxury game camp. I stayed there 2 nights early May. This is low season but every tent (75 rooms) was occupied. Even the basic tent seemed luxurious to me, with hot water and electricity. The staff is friendly, the food is excellent. They had guests from all over the world visiting while I was there: China, Switzerland, France, India, Australia, UK, USA, Japan.

So relaxing: you take game drives at dawn and dusk and in between drives it is full-on relaxation. Simply read on the patio by your room, listening to nature sounds of running water and birds. Sit or swim by the pool if it is warm enough. Take a massage in a tent or drink a Tusker at the bar.

The bar manager learns you ( and your drink of choice) right away! Mohamed was great and so was all his staff. They know what hospitality and personal reference does for business. This is one reason why the hotel is so popular.

The buffet food was amazing and included Indian, American, European, Kenyan, and vegetarian choices. Drinks are extra $$ but not too $$. The soup station was unusual and the meat choices included duck and lamb. The beef was quite tender.

The only negative aspect is that at night sound travels, and my neighboring tent was just rude and inconsiderate by waking up at 4 am and 5 am on both mornings of my stay and having full volume conversations in Indian language in male voices. Such complete dicks. I only wish I could have understood what they were saying so I could eavesdrop and perhaps post a juicy tidbit about their conversation. The management says they talked to them, but it didn't help very much. If I had stayed longer I would have asked to move tents. On the plus side, I got up and went up to the business center to call home both early mornings and this helped me stay in touch with the States due to the 8 hour time difference, and I certainly did not need an alarm to get to my 6:30 game drive.

One more note, this is a five hour drive from Nairobi. I would try to fly in to Narok or even the Keekorok airstrip if you can avoid the long drive. Safari drives are VERY BUMPY and if you have neck or back issues you may was to reconsider the game drives. Also one more note the zebras and wildebeest are not in the park this time of year ( early May). All the zebras I saw were outside the park between Narok and the park entrance. I did see a ton of elephants, a lion pride , and a cheetah and hippos. I saw a few giraffes. Overall, I am sticking with a five star rating due to the special nature of this hotel.

Stayed May 2013

Value

Location

Rooms

Cleanliness

Service

Helpful?

3Thank cholesteroldoc

Report

Ask cholesteroldoc about Sarova Mara Game Camp

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

I had the time of my life in Sarova Mara. Comfortable, beautiful tents, lovely and friendly staff, nice environs, reasonably priced, especially low-season. Variety of programmes, including Maasai dance. I just returned from the safari and my stay in Sarova and I just can't stop singing their praise. It was absolutely wonderful! Will HIGHLY recommend it!

Room Tip: Book in advance and low-season, preferably!

See more room tips

Stayed April 2013, traveled with friends

Value

Location

Sleep Quality

Rooms

Cleanliness

Service

Helpful?

Thank Abena K

Report

Ask Abena K about Sarova Mara Game Camp

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

The Sarova Mara is my favorite hotel of all time. We spent 10 days in Kenya on a mission trip with friends and finished our stay at the Mara. I came in not expecting to love the safari experience, but I was completely blown away! We were met at the landing strip with fresh juices, cool towels, and Tony our driver. He also was our safari guide for the weekend, and he was the best. We immediately went on a game drive, and the landscape was breathtaking!

The hotel is absolutely magnificent. You enter through a long covered bridge to an outdoor lobby made of beautiful dark woods. The lodge encompasses beautiful hardwoods and natural stone. Massai warriors give a show in the lobby for guests with traditional dancing. The restaurant is also beautiful with a gourmet buffet of items from around the world. The lobby bar had live guitar and a fire in the fireplace. We spent our nights on the patio with a chimenea and a glass of red wine.

The tent rooms were just beautiful, cozy, and luxurious. They all had hard-wood floors and designer touches. We actually had a regular King room with zip-up door, and the door was no problem at all. The windows zip up at night for privacy. The bed was heavenly with high quality linens, down, and pillow-top. We had a mosquito net but didn't have a problem with mosquitos in the room. Great size dressing area and bathroom with walk-in shower. There is no heat or air in the rooms. But they bring hot water bottles for your bed at turndown to keep your bed warm through the night. My favorite part was the sound of the rolling stream and birds in the background. The tents are below a beautiful canopy of trees, and the sounds are simply enchanting.

The property is spiraling with stone sidewalks and covered bridges over the river. My husband spent the afternoon fishing and had a ball catching loads of fish - all catch and release! The pool was beautiful and a great place to catch some sun. There were lots of outdoor games to play if you're into that. I had a great massage, and it was only like $40.

The Safari is breathtaking. I'm not a morning person by any means, so getting up in the dark to go on Safari was not my heart's desire to begin with. But it was so worth it. Watching the sunrise over the Mara was one of the most magnificent images I've ever seen. We had the Bush Breakfast with giraffes in the middle of the Mara with no other human in sight. Champagne with gold flakes, Mimosa's, hot breakfast, fresh juices. We loved having Tony and Sarova as our safari guide each day. The Sarova land cruisers were so much more luxurious than the other safari vans that people had. Tony made sure we saw absolutely everything and was so kind and knowledgable. We learned so much from his stories about the Mara and Massai life. I can't say enough good things about Tony!

Sarova Mara is nothing less than perfection. We've traveled all over the world and stayed at the most luxurious and the most simple hotels. Sarova is quintessential Kenya. We will be back and wouldn't dream of staying anywhere else in the Mara. Of all the hotels I've stayed at in the world, this experience takes the prize. My advice - stay longer than a weekend! You won't regret it. Can't wait to return with the family next time!

Stayed May 2012, traveled as a couple

Value

Location

Sleep Quality

Rooms

Cleanliness

Service

Helpful?

Thank 2stonesthrow

Report

Ask 2stonesthrow about Sarova Mara Game Camp

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Stayed in Mid-April. Excellent reception, very clean facility, well staffed. Even have in-house doctor. Standard room was extremely comfortable. Everything you need is in the room. Food was buffet style and much of it cooked to order. Nice pool. Generators go off between 2400 and 0400. Flash-light and candles in room. Would stay there again without a doubt. Highly recommended. No need to look elsewhere during your safari.

Room Tip: Rooms near main lodge will be a little noisier due to generator and events.

See more room tips

Stayed April 2013, traveled with friends

Value

Location

Sleep Quality

Rooms

Cleanliness

Service

Helpful?

1Thank Taildragger_1

Report

Ask Taildragger_1 about Sarova Mara Game Camp

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Sarova Mara Game Camp is located in the heart of the Maasai Mara Game Reserve in South West Kenya.
It is 260 km from Nairobi, a 1-hour flight from Nairobi, 20-minute drive from the airstrip and a 5 1/2-hours drive from Nairobi on the new tarmac road. It is set on an elevation surrounded by two streams.
The Camp is uniquely laid out over the sprawling grounds that include rolling manicured greens, a virtual mini forest of indigenous shrubs and exotic trees, a large pond stocked with fish, mini bird sanctuary and an authentic Maasai village adjoining the Camp.
The Camp includes 20 club tents, 51 standard tents, 2 family tents, a main restaurant, bar and many bush dining options. The free form swimming pool has its own pool bar.
In addition, it has its own fleet of well equipped safari vehicles with excellent guides. There are meeting rooms and numerous outdoor venues for dining and leisure. The entire Camp is surrounded by a 24 hour electric fence.
The climate is very pleasant with clear warm days and cool nights Temperatures average from 26ْ C during the day to 12ْ C at night. There are sporadic rains in March, April, November & December....more less

Reservation Options:

TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Hotels.com, Jovago.com, Travelocity, TripOnline SA, Priceline and Booking.com so you can book your Sarova Mara Game Camp reservations with confidence. We help millions of travelers each month to find the perfect hotel for both vacation and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.

Also Known As:

Sarova Mara Game Camp Hotel Maasai Mara National Reserve

Sarova Mara Game Camp Kenya/Maasai Mara National Reserve

Is This Your TripAdvisor Listing?

Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.

* TripAdvisor LLC is not a booking agent and does not charge any service fees to users of our site... (more)

We noticed that you're using an unsupported browser. The TripAdvisor website may not display properly. We support the following browsers:
Windows:Internet Explorer,
Mozilla Firefox,
Google Chrome.
Mac:Safari.

TripAdvisor LLC is not responsible for content on external web sites. Taxes, fees not included for deals content.